


Warm Nights

by lovelyharringrove



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Arranged Marriage, Fae & Fairies, Kingdoms, M/M, Magic, i made up social dynamics and classes, jane is a faerie, joyce byers is the matchmaker, steve harrington is a magician
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-07 09:55:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19207012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyharringrove/pseuds/lovelyharringrove
Summary: Steve Harrington likes his life just fine. Living in the capitol city of Ocriucor in a beautiful apartment with his loving, albeit overbearing, mother where he is free to practice magick however he wants. But on his eighteenth birthday, as with all citizens of the nine kingdoms, he must go to the town matchmaker and be given a spouse.When his appointed spouse is the opposite of what he wanted, and he is sent to move to a kingdom he knows nothing about, how will he cope?





	Warm Nights

          Soft sunlight filters through the sheer curtains and warms Steve’s silk sheets. Stretching slowly, he slips out of bed and rubs his eyes. He splashes cool water on his face, drying off with a finely-made towel.

  
          “Steven, darling? Are you awake?”

  
          “Yes, mama,” he called back as his mother pushes open his door and gives him a small smile. “Big day today,” she murmured, caressing his cheek, “my baby boy, all grown up.” Steve blushes, striding towards his closet and pulling on a simple muslin robe for breakfast. “Mama, it isn’t that big of a deal. I still get to live with you-”

  
          His mother whirls around from the bookshelf to face him. “You get to live with me until someone comes and- and takes you away! Anybody could do it, you- you could get taken by a Brute.”

  
“Mama! They wouldn’t give me to a Brute, for God’s sake. They’ll take time, match me with someone good. And I won’t get taken by anyone, you know Madame Byers wouldn’t give me to anyone like that.”

  
          Maria Harrington had good reason to be concerned, her first husband had been a Warrior, better than a Brute but worse than anything acceptable for a Magician like her. A mean one, at that, and she only got out of it when Steve’s father killed the man and married her.

  
          She guides him to a soft chair and begins to comb through his long hair, spraying a bit of lavender water into it. “I just worry, cucciolo,” she says as she rests her head on top of his. He remains silent, letting her tut around and fuss with his hair.

  
          A soft knock at the door has Maria jerking up to answer it. One of the servant girls, Analise, steps in and sets a silver tray on the dresser in front of Steve. “Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Mistress, but I would like to wish Steven luck on this day. Me and some of the others have gotten him a gift,” the girl spoke nervously, barely looking at Maria. Steve’s mother glances at him and offers him a small smile, before turning to face Analise. “You are forgiven Analise, and I am sure Steven appreciates your sentiment,” she speaks stiffly, still unused to the casualness between servants and their employers that is so standard in this kingdom.

  
          Analise smiles widely, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small, intricate glass cage. She holds it up to Steve proudly, and only then can he focus on the ball of light that flitters around inside. “We know aurum faeries aren’t anything special, but we hope you like her. The shop-keep said she was very docile but protective, and if she likes you, she can be a real help with readings and other magick.” She spits out all of her words nervously, and delicately places the cage on the dresser.

  
          Steve looks at the faerie in wonderment, and reaches one finger out to stroke the top of the cage. He turns to Analise, whose eyes are wide and beginning to water. “Thank you. You didn’t need to go through trouble to get me anything, and I greatly appreciate it.” His mother smiles at the girl and then flicks her hand to dismiss her, and turns her attention back to Steve.

  
          “Well, I certainly never heard of a servant bringing anyone a present,” she muses. “They must really like you.” Steve carefully opens the cage, and the little ball of golden light flies out, circling his head and sitting back onto the desk. Slowly, it begins to grow in size until it’s about the size of his pointer finger. The faerie stands naked, her skin pale with a gold-ish hue and her dark hair a halo of curls around her childlike face. Her whole body glows and she traces out her name, Jane, in gold lines in the air.

  
          “Well, hello there Jane,” Steve says as she begins to inspect the food next to her, dipping a finger into the strawberry jam. Steve tears off a piece of the warmed bread and slathers butter and jam on it, offering it to his mother, and taking a bite when she declines. “Eat quickly, tesoro, or we won’t have time to go to the baths before your appointment with Madame Byers.”

  
          Steve begins to shovel eggs and porridge into his mouth, earning him a slap to the back of his head. “Steven! Have I raised you to eat like a starving man about to be hanged? Have decency, for God’s sake.” He mumbles out an apology and slows his eating. His mother nervously frets around his room, grabbing a yellow silk shirt and fine cotton pants. “The yellow will do you good, bring out those eyes of yours. The flecks of gold,” she pauses to pull his drapes back. “An aurum faerie for my golden boy,” Maria straightens herself and clears her throat. “Of course, you must wear jewels, otherwise the Madame may think you poor. She must know of the class you come from-”

  
          “Mama, Madame sees us at banquets and parties frequently. She knows of our class, of our wealth as well,” Steve gently reminds his mother. She spins round to face him, her dark hair twirling as she steps towards him. “Steven, do you not understand the importance of this meeting? Madame Byers is the woman of our kingdom, her husband the man. They decide your fate. You will make a good impression, and if you don’t, not even God can help you.” At Steve’s silence, she sighs and walks closer to him. She wraps her arms around him and kisses his temple.

  
          “I know I’m being dramatic. Please, just do what I say and all will be well.” Steve nods, turning to face her. “I’m sorry, Mama,” he says softly, “I know you just want what’s best.” His mother wipes her eyes and stands up abruptly. She paces around his room anxiously. “So, gold jewelry, of course. The yellow would wash out the silver, and besides, you don’t want your little faerie to feel alone. I think turquoise would be best, a little something from my home to ground you.” Steve agrees noncommittally, as he’s never understood which colors ‘go’ with each other.

  
          His mother whistles a soft tune, and three of her faeries materialize next to her. She only trusts gemma faeries with her jewelry, and these three were a wedding gift to her great grandmother. They know her jewels better than she does. “Afferte mihi aliquid pulchellus cum aurum et gemmam (bring me something pretty with gold and turquoise),” she says softly, and the three disappear.

  
          Jane tugs a strand of Steve’s hair for his attention, and out of nowhere, materializes a beautiful golden pendant on a chain. The chain is thin, almost stringlike gold, and the pendant is a gigantic ruby with vines of gold snaking around and holding it, all surrounded by petals of gold. The ruby pulses as soon as Steve touches it, and a shock of electricity goes through him. “You can change it, just concentrate. It will keep us together,” he hears a small voice in his head say.

  
          His mother rushes over and inspects the necklace. “Can you change the ruby to turquoise, darling? It would be beautiful- it is beautiful.” She focuses on Jane. “You will protect him if I cannot.” Jane nods.

  
          Steve halts, looking at the now turquoise necklace. “Wait, Mama, I thought aurum faeries were common, and not very powerful? How did she do this?” His mother laughs airily, stroking his face. “Aurum faeries get their power from their hosts, and vice-versa. However, they are extremely picky, leading to them being owned by people who aren’t really their hosts. Jane likes you though, she chose you.” Steve glances at Jane in awe. “Yes, Steven, I know, lots to process. But we have a schedule to follow. To the baths now, then we will come back and get dressed.”

\---

  
          Steve follows his mother into the bath house, feeling the cool marble underneath his bare feet. An attendant dressed in a sheer white robe leads them to their private room, and stops in front of a heavy wood door engraved with the name HARRINGTON. Maria takes out a key from her bag and unlocks the door, ushering Steve in. “Excuse me. Tell Karina that we are in and that I want her and two of her best girls to come help,” she requests coldly, not even bothering to wait for a response from the attendant before slamming the door shut.

  
          “I cannot stand those attendants. Always waiting and watching- God, it gives me a headache. Please ask Madame for someone from a proper kingdom, then take me with you. I don’t know how much more of this inter-class mingling I can handle, Steven,” Maria fans herself as she unbuttons her dress. “What was I thinking, agreeing to a marriage in Ocriucor of all places? Cold and barren and manner-less.”

  
          The kingdom is one of Steve’s mother’s greatest complaints, mostly because of the vast cultural differences between her homeland, Sedaria, and Ocriucor. Sedaria has far stricter rules on how each class must address each other, which leads to Maria being constantly offended that some of the lower classes don’t avert their eyes when she walks past. Moreover, she comes from an island kingdom, where it was almost always warm. The harsh winters and humid, almost unbearable summers of Ocriucor were a cruel shock to her.

  
          “Mama. I am here for a bath, not a lecture on why Ocriucor is terrible,” Steve said, pausing for a second to gauge his mother's reaction. When she simply rolls her eyes, he opened his mouth to speak again, but a sharp rapping sound at the back door, which was only accessible to servants halted him. “Karina?,” Maria calls out. “Yes Mistress, and I have brought my two best assistants.” Maria pauses before shouting “Come in!” The three girls filed in, all wearing sheer robes with their hair tied up and skin adorned with ever-shifting silver tattoos. They each had two aquatilium faeries perched on their shoulders, who were small bursts of blue light, not unlike Jane was in her cage.

  
          With a wave of her hand, Karina summons the faeries, who call fly off their hosts shoulders and float, awaiting an order. “What fragrance would you like, mistress?” Karina asks politely. Maria thinks for a second, looks at Steve, and says “Lavender and rosemary, with a hint of lemon- not too much, though.” Karina nods and relays the information to the faeries who begin to fill the baths.

  
          One of the assistants unbuttons Steve’s robe and slips it off of him, leading him to the now-full, fragrant waters. Steve slips into the water, all of his anxieties melting away. The assistant fils a jug with water and methodically washes his hair, massaging his scalp the whole time. His eyes flutter shut and he slips into a deep sleep.

  
          When Steve wakes, his mother is gently shaking him. “Come, bambino, we must get you dressed,” she says quietly. He slowly gets out of the baths, and is wrapped in a warm, soft towel by one of the assistants. He thanks her as his mother slips back on his robe and gives Karina a few gold coins before leading Steve out of the baths.

  
          “Come on, look alive. Madame isn’t gonna match you with anyone good if you fall asleep at her table.” Steve shakes himself awake and mutters a half-hearted apology. Maria grabs his band and they start walking home. As they pass market stalls, Steve’s stomach begins to growl. His mother sighs, but nonetheless stops at a soup stand and buys him a bowl of broth and some bread.

  
          Once they arrive home, his mother’s nervous energy has peaked. She snaps at the footman for not opening the door fast enough, and all but screams at another to get a coach ready for thirty minutes. “Steven, put on the clothes and I’ll inspect the jewelry, and- no, not like that, God, you’re wrinkling everything!,” she shrieks, running over and smoothing his silk shirt down. She reaches around and claps the necklace Jane gave him around his throat. The three gemma faeries appear, as if sensing that they would be summoned soon. She puts two earrings in each ear, a bracelet on each wrist, and delicate rings on his fingers.

  
          Maria takes a step back to admire her son. “If your father could see you, he’d be so proud, our little baby all grown up,” she wipes away a tear. When Steve tries to hug her, she pushes him back. “Are you crazy? My tears will ruin the silk, you’ll be all wet and we can’t have that. Come, the coach is waiting.”


End file.
